Robbing Peter…

By
Blog Admin January 6, 2007

The San Francisco Chronicle just posted that part of the governor’s health plan would “redirect billions of dollars now spent to treat people without health insurance to purchase coverage for the uninsured…’’

Such a move would eviscerate San Francisco’s yet-to-be implemented Health Access Program, widely praised as the most extensive universal *access* program in the nation. The program relies extensively on San Francisco General Hospital and the city/county’s robust network of clinics.

Public hospitals, which already run in the red, could all be forced over the edge. Also important to note: the governor publicly supported King/Drew University’s medical school this past year through the problems with its medical center. King/Drew, one of Los Angeles’ two public hospitals, would close. The other public hospital, LA County/USC, would be in the same predicament.

While the intention here is to provide coverage for the uninsured, it completely leaves that *SAME POPULATION* (indigent) in the lurch with no safety net. On top of that, it does nothing to help everyone else, when another hospital closes down.